Rail-joint.



RLW. sMnH RAILJOINT. APPLIQATION FILED DEC. 23, 1913.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I" R. W. SMITH.

RAIL .IOINT. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23. I9I3- Patented Apr. 30,1918.

2 -SHEET$-SHEET 2.

mmmwg wi t lumen tunrrnn srmrns ra rnn'r onmcn REUBEN SMITH, OF WESTCOLLINGSWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO THE RAUL: JOINT COM?ANY, OF NEWYORK, N. "5. A GOB/PQBATION OF NEW YORK.

RAIL-JOINT.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, REUBEN W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Collingswood, in the county of Camden and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in rail joints having for itsprimary objects the provision of means for more eifectually fastening arail joint to track ties to prevent creeping of the track, and also formore uniformly distributing the wheel loads through the joints to theties and road-bed.

To this end, the invention consists in the novel construction,combination, and ar rangement of parts hereinafter described,illustrated, and claimed.

The invention may be embodied in different forms of rail joints withoutdeparting from the spirit or principle thereof, so for illustrativepurposes, several practical embodiments are shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a railjoint of the continuous type modified to include the novel improvementof the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the Weber type of rail joint likewisemodified to include the present invention. 7

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

In all of its adaptations to difierent types of rail joints, thedistinctive feature of the improvement remains the same, namely, that ofproviding the joint with a railsupporting base member having a moreextended area than the length of the joint, so as to overlie and securesupport from other ties of the road-bed in addition to the joint ties.

Illustrating the invention in its application to a rail joint of thecontinuous type, it will be observed by reference to Fig. 1 of thedrawings that the rail joint proper includes the usual'rails 11 and theopposite separately applied adjustable splicing or side joint bars 22,combined with the usual adjusting and clamping joint bolts, and with theusual joint ties 3 of the roadbed. In this type of joint, the side jointbars 2 are of standard length, and usually Patented Apr. 3th, 191%..

Application filed December 23, 1913. Serial No. 808,472.

spanning the two joint ties which are located under the end portions ofthe joint proper, although it is understood that sometimes a third jointtie is placed under the center of the joint where conditions or1ocations make this desirable.

However, according to the present invention, no change or alteration isinvolved in the usual mounting of the joint proper upon the usual jointties 3, nor in the fastening down of the joint bars or plates to thesaid ties, but the present invention supplies to the joint an increasein the base supporting area thereof and multiplication of the trackfastening positions therefor. This is accomplished by means ofconstructing the rail supporting base member t of the joint with endextension plates 5. These plates are of suflicient length and projectionbeyond the ends of the side members of the joint, so as to overlie thenext adjacent ties 6 beyond the joint ties 8. In this application of theinvention to the continuous type of rail joint, the end extension platesare preferably rolled integrally with the main base member 4 of eachjoint bar 2, and each of said plates is formed with a spike hole 7therein for receiving a supplemental fastening spike which is driveninto the said extra joint supporting tie 6. Accordingly, it will beobserved that a rail joint of the continuous type constructed inaccordance with the present invention has each of its side members orbars provided with a pair of end extension plates 5 respectivelyprojecting beyond opposite ends of the joint, and thus affording aconstruction which carries out the objects of the present invention in amost effectual manner.

Referring to the adaptation of the invention to the Weber type of railjoint, reference is made to Fig. 2 of the drawings. As shown therein,this type of joint includes in combination with the rails, the standardfeatures of a plain angle bar 8 at. one side of the joint, the channelbar 9 at theopposite side of the joint, the shoe angle 10 having theupright member 11 and a base member 12, and a wooden or compressiblefiller block 13 interposed between said upright member 11 and the outerside of the channel bar. The rail-supporting base member 12 of the shoeangle extends entirely beneath the rail bases, and is formed with endextension plates 5 which are of suflicient length and projection beyondboth ends of the side members of the joint so as to overlie the next,adjacent ties 6 beyond the main joint ties 3, said, end extension plates5? having formed therein the spike'holes 7 a to receive the fasteningspikes which supplement the main fastening spikes which engage the jointties.

From the'foregoing, it will be observed that all forms of the inventionpreserve the same structural and functional characteristics,that is,base members having end extension plates Which extend beyond both endsof the side joint members or bars so as to overlie and secure supportfrom other ties beyond the joint ties.

Having described the essential and distinct structural features of thepresent invention, special attention is now drawn to the two-fold objectattained thereby. First,

to ofier facilities for spiking, or otherwise fastening, the jointstructure more securely to the ties, in order to keep the track fromcreeping. In all railroad track there is a tendency under certainconditions of traffic,

7 wheel-loads, track maintenance and road-bed construction, forthe railsto run or creep longitudinally, usually in the directionof traflic. Thiscreeping is resisted only by the friction of the rails on the ties andby means of spiking the joint plates, through slots in the plates, tothe ties, the spikes and the joint-bolts Working together to hold therails in proper position on the ties. This creeping force, however, isfrequently sufficient, when the, joint structure is fastened to onlytvvoor three ties, to drag the joint ties out of position in thedirection of thecreeping of the rails, thus disturbing the road-bed andgiving thejoint an unstable support. This shifting of the ties anddisturbing of the roadbed also cause bad alinement and unevenness ofsurface of the track, and various s e-called anti-creeper devices are inuse to prevent or to diminish creeping of the rails.

By means of the present invention, the base portion of the joint isfastened, as herein set forth, by means of spikes to the additional ties6 beyond the joint ties proper, and consequently thev resistance offeredto the creeping movement of the rails is increased proportionately tothe number of ties covered by the base plate, and the disturbing efiectson the road-bed are thus materially diminished.

Second, to distribute the wheel loads more uniformly through the jointto the ties and road-bed. By extending the base portion of the jointover the additional ties as shown, the wheel loads at the rail ends arenot concentrated on the two joint ties alone, but are distributed toadjacent ties, thus diminishing the disturbing effects of the heavywheel loads on the road-bed, and securing the bencficial effects of alonger joint bearing on the ties, Without the increased cost incident toincreasing the length of the whole joint structure.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction and manyadvantages of the hereindescribed rail joint will be readily apparentwithout further explanation, and it is also. to be understood thatchanges in the form, proportion, and minor details of con struction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

I claim:

1. An anti-creepingrail joint comprising in combination witha pluralityof track ties, the rails and the joint bolts, of a joint bar clamped inthe fishing spaces of the rails by the joint bolts and provided with anintegral inwardly extending base plate extending free of and beyond theends of the bar and fastened to the ties beyond the joint ties.

2. An anticreeping rail joint comprising in combination with a pluralityof track ties, the rails and joint bolts, of an upright joint barsecured to the rails by the joint bolts and provided with an integralbase plate underlying the rails and extending free of and beyond theends of the bar and fastened to the ties beyond the joint ties.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence oftwo Witnesses.

REUBEN W. SMITH.

Witnesses:

R. RQBBINS, REUBEN B. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obta ined fer five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0.

